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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

9 month DS reverted to feeding like a newborn at night - help!!

16 replies

sh77 · 11/12/2011 21:53

I have been exclusively BFing DS. Weaning has been successful and he eats big proportions. 2 weeks ago, he had a tummy bug, which cleared about 5 days ago. Since the tummy bug, he is waking every 2 hours for a long feed. When I pull away, he roots and wants to latch on. It is getting very exhausting. I would be grateful for any advice. Should I start him on formula for night time?

TIA

OP posts:

Debs75 · 11/12/2011 21:58

Why switch him to formula? You will replace an easy to feed method with the hassle of making up bottles with no guarantee he will request less.
it sounds like he got used t extra bm whilst poorly and he likes it.
Could your dp help with night settling so he can learn to fall asleep with out bm?

Original poster

sh77 · 11/12/2011 22:02

Thanks debs for your advice. DP shifted out to the other bedroom weeks ago as he couldn't handle the frequent waking! Yes, you are right that formula would be more of a hassle but I thought he might feel more full from it.

OP posts:

lilham · 11/12/2011 22:03

When my DD got very sick a month ago, she wasn't sleeping right for at least a week. He will get back to his normal self in his own time.

lilham · 11/12/2011 22:04

I mean a week after she's discharged from hospital. Of course she didn't sleep well when she was sick!

Debs75 · 11/12/2011 22:05

It could cause more problems by making him uncomfortably full.
Tell Dp to man up a bit and help with the night wakings. It is hard but it won't be forever. If he leaves you to feed him to sleep then you could be at it for years

ledkr · 11/12/2011 22:08

we have just managed to stop our 9 month old dd feeding 2-3 times a night.We used a form of cc but our own.We went in when she woke up,picked her up and comforted her,put her down after she was calm and left the room for 2 mins,she cried then we went back and repeated.
She settled after 20 mins,woke again about 3 hrs later we did it all again then she slept till 8am.
We did this every night for 5 days,it got less and less and shorter periods to settle her then she stopped waking.She has woken once or twice since and settles easily with this technique. Good luck.

Original poster

sh77 · 12/12/2011 11:17

Thanks everyone for your advice.

ledkr - will give this a go. He has started to settle himself when I put him to bed. Tried cc last night and it was a battle of wills - he wouldn't stop until he was fed. Will try your technique.

OP posts:

ledkr · 12/12/2011 15:43

Let me know how it goes,its really worked for us and also making sure she has two naps in the day and plenty to eat.
With this method you feel less guilty as you are able to comfort them frequently so easy to stick to. Good luck.
Btw i had tried cc before and she didnt stop either.

Original poster

sh77 · 13/12/2011 10:27

hi ledkr. Last night was better. He woke up 3 times. As soon as I heard him whinge on the first 2 occasions, I patted him back to sleep - worked! At 5am, he wouldn't settle and so I fed him. Will continue with this method. Many thanks!

OP posts:

ledkr · 14/12/2011 21:38

Well done,thats great.I feel like a new woman.She only wakes once if at all now and is easy to get back off to sleep.Hope it carries on working.

naturalbaby · 14/12/2011 21:46

i went through this a month ago and managed to get him to 5am with a dummy. it was like he couldn't sleep unless his tummy was full but he was eating loads during the day. i gave him an extra bowl of porridge just before bed and that seemed to help fill him up and extra bit more.

AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 14/12/2011 23:05

You're in classic sleep regression territory so frequent waking is totally normal at this age.

You can read about it here, here and here.

ledkr · 15/12/2011 09:53

Arrrrgh! Noooooo. Was sleep regression invented recently cos my older children never suffered from it
She has her umpteenth cold now so we will probably have a few sleepless snuffly nights.My Mum has her tonight so goo luck grandma.

lilham · 15/12/2011 11:14

ledkr that's because you are lucky. Mine started doing the classic 37wk regression. I know she's not hungry because she doesn't even want to feed! For two nights in a row she woke up to work on crawling. She just grunts a lot, shuffling all over the bed, hitting me and DH with both her head and her butt, lifting one hand to scratch our faces. I only fed her once last night at 2. She just needs to head butt us for an hour and then she goes back down to sleep :(

She was like this at 4mo. But it was working on singing. We listened to her in her cot singing and cooing for an hour at a time. It's wearing.

ledkr · 15/12/2011 12:38

mine wakes up crying tho so not very sociable.I did once have to resist a game of row the boat at 4am when she grabed my hands and rocked saying Rarara She was waking out of habit as it was same time every night and i was feeding her to get her back off which eventually became 4 bottles some nights and no solids in the day as had a belly full of milk.Ok at the mo but im waiting.

AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 15/12/2011 13:23

No, not recently invented, but some children's sleep suffer. Others suffer in daytime behaviour, mood, eating patterns etc. In general, more 'easygoing' children are affected less than more 'highly strung' children, although easygoing kids can be bothered by it too.

The 8/9 month one is the worst IMO because they're often teething and working on new physical skills too.

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